Scores of speakers urge council to keep Faro Center as drop‑in day center; neighbors cite safety concerns

Dozens of residents, service providers and people who use the Faro Center pressed the Santa Barbara City Council on July 1 to continue the city’s partnership with SB Act and keep the Faro Center operating as a low‑barrier, walk‑in navigation and day‑center for people experiencing homelessness.

The comments — which occupied a large portion of the public‑comment period — included repeated appeals from Faro Center staff, volunteers and clients about the center’s role in connecting people to housing, health care and other services, and forceful complaints from neighbors and a property manager who said the center’s current operation has created public‑safety and nuisance problems.

Why it matters: The Faro Center is operating as a downtown drop‑in navigation center that, speakers said, has housed more than 100 people since it opened and serves dozens of people per day. Supporters argued that changing the center to an appointment‑only model or eliminating food and other services would block access for the city’s most vulnerable residents. Neighbors and at least one property manager said they are experiencing threats, trespass and defecation on adjacent private property and asked the city for stronger mitigation or a change of operator.

Supporters described outcomes and individual stories. Lindsay Black, executive director of Jody House, a brain‑injury support organization adjacent to the Faro Center, said, “Jody House does not oppose providing targeted services at the Faro Center…